To Real World Dentistry
To Real World Dentistry
Hear what all the buzz is about from the industry's most prominent leaders, young dentists and NDG readers
Hear what all the buzz is about from the industry's most prominent leaders, young dentists and NDG readers
Schedule a private web-chat for a one on one session with me to help you make important decisions or get personalized advice
Schedule a private web-chat for a one on one session with me to help you make important decisions or get personalized advice
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This is my favorite bur for occlusal clearance. Very coarse, fast cutting and an efficient shape - this can be used alone or in conjunction with depth cutters
Not only do these look polished and high end, they also mask any blood or materials that may dirty your hands during a procedure.
Just a tiny drop on the end of a micro brush rubbed into a cavity prep can point out missed decay. It's also great to visualize cracks in the base of preps before placing core build ups. Don't rely too heavily on these dies as many times they yield false positives, so remember to always verify with your explorer tip.
My favorite long coat for women - it comes down to the knees and is cinched at the waist. Allheart.com $27
My favorite short coat for women. Had a nice belt detail at the back and is in a really soft material. Allheart.com $27
These multi-fluted carbide burs are my favorite for polishing composites and smoothing teeth after removing Invisalign attachments. They leave the surface of the tooth glassy smooth.
These bands fit into your standard Tofflemire matrix but allow for much greater access to hard to reach and restore areas
This is my favorite oral debridement agent for patients with peri-corontinis or mucosal irritation. Rinse 2x a day for as many days as necessary until symptoms resolve or they make it to their referral. $10
If you aren't using a rubber dam, the next best thing is using an Isolite. This device comes with disposable mouthpieces, a plug in to the high speed suction, and a light to illuminate the working field. Downsides are the initial purchase price for the unit is expensive, and you have to keep purchasing mouthpieces. They offer a 30 day free trial. Systems range $795-$1695
This is the cheaper alternative to the Isolite. It doesn't come with a light source, but the mouthpieces are sterlizable. They offer a 30 day trial money back guarantee.
Systems start at $500
In case you wear scrubs to work, this brand offers by far the most stylish ones. Founded by a doctor and her brother, the company prides itself on quality and style.
$39 for tops, $42 for bottoms
They are pricy, but one will last you ages. These polish ceramic to a high shine with minimal effort. I always polish up any areas I adjust before final delivery and these have never failed me.
$100 per kit
Keep one handy to record patients that you want to keep track of, things you think of to look up later, lab cases you want to track, CE you take, clinical tips you pick up, patients that don't start treatment. With so many things to keep track of on a daily basis, it's important to stay organized and keep all your important notes in one place
These are really helpful to find smaller accessory canals once you're on the pulpal floor. Combined with an ultrasonic or piezo to trough, these really make endo easier. Even fun!
These polishers are excellent to get your composites looking glossy and smooth. I especially love the cup shaped one that gets into embrasure spaces with ease.
For anterior esthetic composite bonding, these are second to none. Make sure to use them wet as they do a much better job than when they are dry. These are also great for rounding off any sharp edges on your crown preps.
I don't know how I extracted teeth without these. Their small shape is excellent at getting that perfect purchase point to break attachment and luxate at the same time. They can get really apical and are my fail safe, even on the toughest extractions.
$150 per instrument
This multi purpose composite instrument has everything you need just in the flick of your wrist. 2 different sized condensers that are also great at burnishing a matrix band, a ball/acorn burnisher to carve occlusal anatomy and 2 flat ends to shape marginal ridges and remove excess material - this instrument does it all. Reducing the number of times you switch instruments is a key to clinical efficiency. $100
This is my favorite composite matrix system. The plastic wedges rarely cause tissue trauma, the set comes with different band heights for different sized preps, the rings are sturdy but not bulky. I get predictable contacts and anatomy every time I use this system.
This is a great, affordable, bright, lightweight headlight. Created by a fellow dentist, this can clip onto more loupes and really changes how you see. If you aren't already using illumination, this might be a good place to start. They offer a 45 day trial period and are around $500.